The present invention relates to a dust bag for use in a vacuum cleaner, i.e. a preferably bag shaped dust separating and dust collecting container for a vacuum cleaner.
Today, there are more than 100 different types of dust bags for vacuum cleaners on the market, which, apart from differences in size, also include in relation to each other different fixing means for attachment of a dust bag at the intended location in each type of vacuum cleaner. The fixing means normally comprises of a rigid plastic or cardboard plate, a so called original plate, which has a configuration adapted for attachment in the intended location for a dust bag with regard to a certain type of a vacuum cleaner, also having a through hole, which, after attachment, is adapted to serve as a connecting part for the flow channel to the vacuum cleaner. The original plate is also often co-acting in different ways in a functional fashion with the vacuum cleaner when the lid to the dust bag location is closed, whereby the shape of same is of even more significant importance. Sealing between the original plate and the flow channel to the vacuum cleaner is accomplished in different ways for different types of vacuum cleaners, e.g. internally against the diameter of the hole in the original plate, or level against the outer surface of same by means of a diameter that slightly exceeds the diameter of the hole. Certain original plates are arranged having an adjacently to the hole attached and substantially completely surrounding sealing member of rubber or similar, which flexibly and sealingly surround a tubular member extending from the flow channel into the vacuum cleaner. The design of the original plates vary considerably with regard to sealing means, hole diameter, outer measurements and shape, and it is thus extremely difficult to accomplish a dust bag for vacuum cleaners which can be used universally, even though the need for such a universally useable dust bag for vacuum cleaners is obvious. This need is underlined by the fact that large department stores only supply a small number of the most common types of dust bags for vacuum cleaners, and that many users thereby are referred to special shops in order to obtain correct type, which obviously also is a problem.
SE-C2-507 311, for example, discloses as previously known the use of a rigid and separate plate shaped member having an opening, a bag having a rigid collapsible flange at its opening and arranged to be inserted through the opening of the plate, and also disclosing that the surface of the flange acting as contact surface against the plate may be arranged with a sealing compound. This embodiment requires that sufficient space exists for the flange by the outer plane of the plate, and does not solve the problem of required adaption to the size of the flow through hole and the geometrical shape of same.
Certain original plates have such large holes and such a hole configuration, or such small outside dimensions, that an attachment surface between the plate shaped member and the flange in such cases become non-existent. Accordingly, a large number of plate types and bag types are required in order to make the proposed solution meet existing demands.
Another previously known alternative solution is disclosed in SE-C2-501 135, which includes a bag of cloth and a front plate with non-changeable dimensions, which by means of, for example, double-sided adhesive tape can be attached to a mounting plate, adapted for intended type of vacuum cleaner. This bag is intended to facilitate repeated use, and the end portion opposed to the front plate is closed by means of releasable adherence between the facing surfaces, in order to make opening/emptying of the bag possible. U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,027 discloses a further previously known solution, in which an outer end portion of a bag shaped member is arranged as a plane having an opening surrounded by a self-adhesive coating protected by a removable protective film. When the protective film has been removed, the bag is intended to be joined to a mounting plate, arranged adapted to intended model of vacuum cleaner. However, this solution has a number of disadvantages, for example, the bag is only held in position by the self-adhesive layer, which results in an obvious risk for disengagement of he bag from the mounting plate, particularly when used in connection with modern vacuum cleaners having large suction effect. The fact that the bag is predetermined to a certain diameter also means that same can not be used for applications requiring a larger hole diameter. Furthermore, the size of the self-adhesive layer can not be changed and adapted to the area of the mounting plate, e.g. when same has a smaller hole than the hole in the bag, a fact that further increases the risk for disengagement of the bag from the mounting plate when used. As a result of such a situation, dust and other impurities collected by the bag would be sucked into the fan means and the motor, and a user would normally be forced to leave the vacuum cleaner to a repair shop for cleaning and service.
The object of the present invention is to disclose a dust bag for vacuum cleaners of an extremely universal type, which is easily adapted to most existing types of vacuum cleaners, and which also makes certain that the risk for release of dust and other impurities during use is substantially completely eliminated. A further object of the present invention is to disclose a dust bag for vacuum cleaners which in a fast and simple fashion can be adapted to desired type of vacuum cleaner and original plate.
The dust bag for a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention comprises a bag shaped member of an air permeable material, adjacent to an inlet opening arranged to be joined by means of an adhering layer to a plate shaped member adapted to facilitate mounting of the dust bag in intended vacuum cleaner, and having the adhering layer protected before use by a removable protective film, and it is mainly characterized in that the area of said adhering layer is adjustable by means of a number of parts joined with the bag shaped member surrounding an intended or existing inlet opening, adjacently located and having an increasing distance in relation to each other from the inlet opening, each part having an individual protective part of the removable protective film, which preferably are divided in separate segments by means of tear off indications facilitating removal of individual parts of the protective film in order to adapt the area of resulting adhering layer to utilized plate shaped member.
The tear off indications in the protective film are preferably arranged completely or partly extending through underlying adhering layer at the bag shaped member, whereby resulting segments completely or partly can be removed together with underlying bag material when adjusting the shape, size and/or position of the inlet opening. The free length of the bag shaped member is advantageously arranged to exceed the length of the location intended for the bag in order to cause a support for the closed end portion of the bag shaped member.